1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method and system for awarding prizes over a communications network based on the call information of a winning communication.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently, in the field of long distance communications there exists a large amount of competition for customers between long distance service providers. Recently, dial-around services have become very popular as a way for customers to choose a long-distance service provider when placing a call. A dial-around service permits a user to dial a long-distance carrier code, prior to placing a call, which in turn selects a long-distance carrier service regardless of which company is the default long distance service provider for that terminal. Long distance phone service providers intensely compete for a large market share of customers using the dial-around services. Therefore, there is a need for new technology to distinguish a communication provider""s service, and thereby attract a greater market share of customers.
The invention provides a method for awarding a prize over a communications network. The method includes generating a prize code based on call information of a prize winning call. The method further includes selecting a prize based on the prize code.
When a call is placed on a communications network, the call is initially determined to be either a winning or non-winning call. Winning calls are subsequently examined to generate a prize code from the call information of the call. Call information can include the location of the winning caller, the location of the party being called, the winning caller""s characteristics, a duration of the winning call, time of day the winning call is placed and the like.
The prize code may further be determined based on a prize level which is an indication of the quality of the prize within a particular prize code range. The caller placing the winning call can be immediately notified of their prize during the winning call or notified at a later time and date.